The present invention generally relates to firearms, and more particularly to a modification accessory kit designed to replace a part of convention barrel cover for a AK-47 type model semi-automatic and automatic rifles, or variants thereof.
The Kalashnikov gas rifle, better known as the AK-47, and its variants comprise one of the largest groups of firearms in the world. It has been estimated that over 90 million of these firearms have been produced in dozens of countries since their introduction in the Soviet Union in 1946. Developed primarily as a military weapon, the AK-47 gas rifle became famous for its simplicity of operation and reliability in extreme conditions of use. Because of its mild recoil, the AK-47 type rifle has the capability of delivering effective fire at a range of 400 meters.
The AK-47 type firearms have a few problems that make it less than optimal for use as an assault weapon. One of these is directly related to the method of operation of the rifle. This firearm basically uses a portion of the high energy combustion gases from discharging the firearm to cycle the action for extracting a spent cartridge case and chambering a new round. A portion of the expanding combustion gases produced by discharging the rifles are ported from the barrel into a cylindrical piston bore containing an axially-movable reciprocating gas piston. The heat generated by the gas rifle is considerable and it does not readily dissipate since the bottom barrel cover is conventionally made of solid wood piece, which tends to trap the heat.
Another problem associated with the AK-47 type rifle is a lack of means to hold various accessories, such as optical scope, flashlight, etc. There exist a number of mounts for rifle accessories. One such type is known as Picatinny rail, which is a bracket used on some firearms in order to provide a standardized mounting platform for accessories and attachments, The Picatinny rails were originally used for mounting scopes on larger caliber rifles. Then their use expanded to other accessories, such as tactical lights, night vision scopes, and the like. However, AK-47 type rifles do not readily accept such types of accessories mounts.
The present invention contemplates elimination of drawbacks associated with heating of conventional AK-47 type rifles and provision of an accessory mount similar to Picatinny-style rail system.